Trends in the use of administrative databases in urologic oncology: 2000–2019

Quality and Impact of Manuscripts Using The Society of Thoracic Surgeons National Databases

BACKGROUND

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) National Databases contain the largest and most comprehensive cardiac, thoracic, and congenital surgery data available. In this analysis characteristics of manuscripts that used the STS National Databases were examined to evaluate the quality and impact of these publications.

METHODS

Manuscripts published from 2010 to 2020 that used the STS National Databases (Adult Cardiac, General Thoracic, and Congenital Heart Surgery) were examined. The number of times cited per published manuscript, journal of publication, and journal CiteScore were assessed. Author characteristics, including institutional association and h-index, were evaluated for first and last authors.

RESULTS

Of 539 published manuscripts, 179 (33.2%) used the Adult Cardiac Surgery, 128 (23.7%) the Congenital Heart Surgery, 85 (15.8%) the General Thoracic Surgery, and 136 (25.2%) used unspecified STS National Databases. Collectively the analyzed manuscripts were cited 18,943 times, with a mean of 35.1 (range, 0-528) citations per manuscript. Manuscripts were published in 97 journals with a mean year-adjusted CiteScore of 5.6 (range, 0.1-60.2). Authors associated with 361 institutions contributed to published manuscripts. The mean h-index of first authors was 24.6 (range, 0-100) and of last authors was 44.1 (range, 0-164). From 2010 to 2020 first authors wrote a mean of 1.6 (range, 1-31) and last authors wrote a mean of 1.9 (range, 1-29) STS National Databases publications.

CONCLUSIONS

The STS National Databases are some of the most robust data collection sources available to cardiothoracic surgeons. These data have enabled valuable research in respected journals from authors of varying experience levels.

Characteristics of prostate cancer patients captured by facility-based versus geography-based cancer registries

PURPOSE

We determined differences in demographics, tumor factors, and treatment patterns of prostate cancer patients in a geographic-based cancer registry based on eligibility for a facility-based cancer registry system.

METHODS

We identified prostate cancer patients captured by the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database from 2018 to 2019. Our exposure was receipt of cancer care at a facility accredited by the American College of Surgeons' Commission on Cancer (CoC) providing eligibility for inclusion in the National Cancer Database (NCDB). Outcomes included patient demographics, tumor factors (e.g., biopsy grade), and treatment with radical prostatectomy.

RESULTS

We identified 113,733 prostate cancer patients of whom 65,708 (57%) were NCDB-eligible with an analytic abstract, and 11,010 (10%) were NCDB-eligible without an analytic abstract. NCDB-eligible men were younger (67.0 vs. 68.1 years, P < 0.001), less likely to be Hispanic/Latino (8.7% vs. 13.2%, P < 0.001), and more likely in a county with median income over $75,000 (40.9% vs. 30.0%, P < 0.001). NCDB eligibility varied widely by registry, from 95.9% in Connecticut to 42.6% in Utah. NCDB-ineligible patients were more likely to have unknown stage (17.2% vs. 2.9% NCDB-eligible) and missing PSA (22.9% vs 9.3% NCDB-eligible). NCDB-eligible men were less likely to have Grade Group 1 cancer on biopsy (28.2% vs. 39.2%, P < 0.001). Treatment with prostatectomy was more common among NCDB-eligible patients for low-risk (19.6% vs. 8.8%, adjusted OR 2.30, 95% CI 1.72-6.66) and high-risk tumors (43.5% vs. 26.0%, adjusted OR 1.95, 95% CI 1.33-2.86).

CONCLUSION

Compared NCDB-ineligible patients, those eligible for inclusion in the NCDB have important differences in demographics, eligibility for active surveillance, and treatment patterns. Generalizations related to epidemiologic trends, practice patterns, and outcomes for this select population should be interpreted with caution.

Defining radical cystectomy using the ICD-10 procedure coding system

INTRODUCTION

The International Classification of Diseases-10-Procedure Coding System (ICD-10-PCS) is markedly more complex than the preceding ICD-9 system, which has increased the difficulty of identifying radical cystectomy (RC) in administrative datasets. Given the absence of a consensus code definition for RC, we sought to develop and internally validate a list of ICD-10-PCS codes for RC.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

All RCs performed from January 2019 to December 2020 were identified from our prospectively maintained registries and split into training (2019) and validation (2020) cohorts. A list of candidate ICD-10-PCS codes to identify RC were compiled using an online ICD-9 to ICD-10 converter. Codes were used to identify RCs from hospital billing data and referenced against registry cases in the training cohort; when discrepancies were found, the working ICD-10 code definition was iteratively revised. Accuracy of the consensus code list was verified in the validation cohort.

RESULTS

We identified 459 RCs over the study period, including 225 in 2019 and 234 in 2020. In the training cohort, our codes identified 241 procedures, including 222 of 225 (99%) RCs performed for bladder cancer. Misidentified cases included 15 (6.2%) RCs for benign disease or nonurologic cancers and 4 (1.7%) non-RC cases. In the validation cohort we identified 239 cases, including 227 of 234 (97%) RCs for bladder cancer and 12 (5%) RCs for benign disease or nonurologic cancers.

CONCLUSION

Given high fidelity to actual procedures performed, this list of ICD-10-PCS codes may be useful for researchers seeking to identify RC within administrative datasets.

A 25-year perspective on advances in the study of the epidemiology, disparities, and outcomes of urologic cancers

In this narrative review, key developments in epidemiologic and clinical outcomes-based research from eminent historical data sources over the past quarter century are summarized. We then describe the rise of secondary and administrative datasets (AD), summarizing the predominant types of available secondary datasets for contemporary research and describe the benefits and inherent limitations in working with secondary data. We review the methodological advances that permit researchers to capitalize on the full capability of secondary data while also addressing the limitations inherent in utilizing these data for the purposes of epidemiologic and outcomes research. Finally, we present candidate strategies to perpetuate this momentum towards optimizing the development of clinical research infrastructure that harnesses the full potential of the ADs to further clinical and epidemiological research, advancing data analysis, and address the many unanswered questions that remain.